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Multiple Choice

With which one of the following types of projections do serious defects develop toward the north and the south boundaries if the total area mapped includes more than 30 degrees of latitude?

Latitudinal distortions in a conic projection arise because the map is built around standard parallels where the scale is true; as you move away from those parallels, scale and shape distortions grow. In Lambert conformal conic, two standard parallels minimize distortion in the band between them, but if the mapped area covers more than a 30-degree span in latitude, the northern and southern edges lie farther from those standard parallels. That distance causes noticeable, asymmetric distortion toward the top and bottom of the map, making this projection less reliable for wide north–south extents. Among the given projections, Lambert conformal conic is the one whose defects become especially evident at the north and south boundaries when the latitudinal extent exceeds about 30 degrees. The other projections either distort most as you approach the map’s edge (like the azimuthal or the poleward extremes of cylindrical forms) or are designed for different purposes—hence they don’t match the described behavior as directly.

Latitudinal distortions in a conic projection arise because the map is built around standard parallels where the scale is true; as you move away from those parallels, scale and shape distortions grow. In Lambert conformal conic, two standard parallels minimize distortion in the band between them, but if the mapped area covers more than a 30-degree span in latitude, the northern and southern edges lie farther from those standard parallels. That distance causes noticeable, asymmetric distortion toward the top and bottom of the map, making this projection less reliable for wide north–south extents. Among the given projections, Lambert conformal conic is the one whose defects become especially evident at the north and south boundaries when the latitudinal extent exceeds about 30 degrees. The other projections either distort most as you approach the map’s edge (like the azimuthal or the poleward extremes of cylindrical forms) or are designed for different purposes—hence they don’t match the described behavior as directly.